Akumu
by GeekRyuu
Summary: The rest of the Manhattan Clan gets to meet and greet our little witch. A new evil stalks the steets of New York and Mari may be its next target. Sequel to Here There Be Monsters.
1. Are you a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

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Akumu

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by Ryuu-sama([karma_aster@yahoo.com][1]**)**

Rating: PG for violence, language, & scary stuff.

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Summary: The rest of the Manhattan Clan gets to meet and greet our little witch. A new evil stalks the streets of New York and Mari may be its next target.

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Disclaimer: The Manhattan Clan, Elisa Maza, Officer Morgan, and all related characters are the property of Disney/Buena Vista Pictures and the ever-brilliant Greg Weisman. I don't own any of them. Trust me, if I did, would I be writing fanfiction? Mariana Wyverie, Wyvern, and other original characters are my creations. If you would like to use them, although I'm not sure why, send me an e-mail to ask permission. 

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Feedback: As always, your comments and criticism are more than welcome! Just send them to the addy above. Please send feedback. I love this stuff.

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Distribution: As long as my name stays attached and you send me a URL so I can go visit, feel free to archive this one anywhere!

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Notes & whatever: Wow…who'd have thought that "Here There Be Monsters" would get the reception that it did? I'm somewhat overwhelmed at the people who _liked _Mari and Wyvern enough to write and ask me if I planned on telling more stories with them. Well, you guys asked for it, you got it! I hope you like this fic. I've had loads of fun writing it and seeing how my style has developed and matured.

Thank you to all the people who sent feedback on the last story. Special thanks go to Morning Cereal and Norcumi, who nagged me incessantly for a new adventure, and listened to me wailing on IM and e-mail about how "I CAN'T WRITE!" for their inhuman patience, understanding, and friendship. You two are irreplaceable! Thank you! 

"Thank yous" and virtual cookies also go to Drem-chan, my pals on the ReBoot LiST, Haru, Amber, Charisma (my fellow MAS and OBLA member), and the wonderful folks on Fanfiction.Net. You guys are amazing!

This fic is dedicated with great affection and friendship, to Haru. She knows why.

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Chapter One: "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

Elisa Maza had become rather accustomed to odd occurrences in the past couple of years. Long before she had met up with Goliath and his clan, working the night beat in Manhattan had given her a front-row seat to all sorts of weird happenings. So, while seeing her new downstairs neighbor appear at her door with her cat in her arms at five in the morning was unexpected, it certainly wasn't cause for alarm. At least, not until the first words came out of Mari's mouth.

"I've met one of your friends," she said flatly.

Elisa blinked. "You did? Uh…I mean-"

"Nice guy. Called himself Brooklyn. I especially like how he, well…um, saved my life," she continued.

"Saved your life?" Elisa echoed dazedly. She looked around the empty hallway. "Um, maybe this isn't the best place to have this conversation? You want to come in or something?" 

Mari nodded. "Good idea. I think we might have one or two things to talk about…and I have a couple of, uh, confessions to make." 

"Right. I'll brew some coffee." Elisa turned around and walked into her apartment, followed by Mari and Wyvern. The girl turned around and shut the door behind her. She put Wyvern down and plopped down onto the sofa. 

The detective filled the basket of the coffeemaker and turned it on. She sighed as the comforting gurgle of the machine filled the apartment.

"All right. When and how did you meet Brooklyn?" she asked.

Mari looked down and twisted her hands together nervously. "Uh, you remember that Quarrymen rally yesterday?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I, er, kind of got one of them mad and he tracked down my address."

"Oh no!" Elisa groaned and buried her head in her hands. "I knew that was going to be trouble." 

"No, it's okay! Brooklyn and I chased him off. He's not coming back."

Elisa raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And just how do you know that?"

Mari sighed. "Oh, well, that's the other thing I needed to tell you." She flushed. "Uh…I'm not really sure how to say this, but…er…"

__

Mari is a witch, Elisa, said Wyvern. 

Elisa spun around and stared at the cat in utter disbelief. "You…you _talked_…" She looked up at Mari, her eyes wide. "Your cat can _talk_!"

Wyvern rolled her eyes. _Why is everyone so surprised that I can talk? _she asked, irritably.

"Wyv…"

__

Well, it's not like she hasn't come across stranger things! the cat retorted.

"Wyvern, please let it go!" Mari snapped.

"Wait." Elisa held up her hands. "You're a witch?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Since…when?"

The girl gave a sheepish grin. "It's a long story."

***************************************

The late afternoon sunlight fell over the city, washing everything in a warm, antique-gold light. At the old Scottish keep atop the Eyrie building, it gilded eight stone figures and stretched their shadows across the ancient stonework. The sun touched the horizon and slowly sank beneath it. The air went still for a moment and then a maze of cracks appeared over the statues as Goliath and his clan burst into life. They greeted each other and proceeded to their usual nightly pursuits.

Brooklyn caught Goliath before he left to visit Elisa.

"Goliath? I need to talk to you."

The clan's leader lifted an eyebrow ridge at his second-in-command. "Oh?" he asked, simply, "What about?"

"Did Elisa mention to you about the idea of keeping an eye on her new neighbor?"

Goliath was somewhat mystified by the question but merely answered, "Yes. It seems like an excellent idea."

Brooklyn sighed. "It does," he agreed, "except for one slight problem."

"And that is?" Goliath asked, cringing.

"The 'discrete watch' is no longer so discrete. I met Mari last night."

"What?"

"Well, I really didn't have a choice. A couple of Quarrymen broke into her apartment to give her a lesson on the drawbacks of interspecies tolerance," said Brooklyn, wryly. "I helped her kick them out."

"The Quarrymen again!" Goliath uttered the words as a low growl, clenching his talons. "Why did they attack her?"

"She said a few things they didn't agree with at one of their rallies." The red gargoyle grinned suddenly. "Actually, she's pretty impressive. She managed to knock one of them out before I even got there."

"So, there's more to her than meets the eye?"

Brooklyn chuckled. "You could say that, " he answered mysteriously.

"What _aren't_ you telling me, Brooklyn?" 

"I think you really need to meet her. There are things about her that are better explained in person."

"Perhaps I should, " Goliath mused, "she seems…intriguing." 

**************************************

Mari rummaged through a box buried in her closet. "Patchouli oil…patchouli oil…where is- Oh! Found it!" 

She held up a small glass vial with a hand-written label, filled with an amber liquid. She popped off the cork and smelled it. "Mmm…good stuff! Okay, now I just need some candles."

_What did you want that for? _asked Wyvern.

"A spell to ward off unwanted visitors," she answered, picking up her Book of Shadows. She dropped her tools into a box and carried them into her living room. 

_Oh. Good idea, _said Wyvern, following her.

"I do have them, sometimes," the witch replied, smiling. "We certainly don't need any more late-night visits from our Quarrymen friends, do we?"

_I don't know…I think you could do with a more bigoted worldview._

Mari began setting up the altar, her only reply a grin.

****************************************

"There's Mari's place," Brooklyn said, pointing. He back-winged to land on her small balcony, followed by Goliath. The two gargoyles cloaked their wings around their shoulders as Brooklyn tapped on the sliding door.

"Mari? It's Brooklyn. Can I come in?"

"Oh, Brooklyn! Yeah, it's unlocked," called a voice from inside the apartment.

The brick-red gargoyle pulled the door open and stepped inside. "I'd have thought you'd know better than that, Mari, especially after last night," he scolded gently.

"Ah, but I knew _you_ were coming tonight, and you'd be more than a match for any thieves!" she replied with a welcoming smile. "It's good to see you, Brooklyn." She was clad in a loose, silken robe of blue that was tied at the waist with green, white, and silver cords. She was barefoot and her brown hair was left to stream down past her waist. 

"Likewise. Uh, nice outfit. It's really…you."

She chuckled. "Thanks. This is a ritual robe. You caught me in spell-casting mode."

"Oh, well, if this is a bad time-"

"No, it's fine. I've just finished, anyway." She raised an eyebrow. "And tell your friend to get in here! That balcony _cannot_ be the most comfortable place to wait."

"How did you…" He shook his head, "Never mind." He turned back to the open door. "You can come in, Goliath."

The big, lavender gargoyle stepped into the apartment. "Thank you, my lady-" he began, stopping short as he saw her face. He blinked. Mari stared right back.

"It's _you_…" she said softly, "_you're_ the one I saw!"

"You can't be…who you appear to be," he said at the same time. Her words registered. "The one you saw?"

"You're the gargoyle Elisa was thinking of. The one I saw in her mind," Mari explained, without thinking. She suddenly realized her mistake as Brooklyn winced and the big gargoyle's expression darkened.

"In her _mind_? What sorcery is this?" Goliath growled.

Mari recoiled. "Um…I mean…er…" she stammered, backing away slowly.

Brooklyn came to her defense. "She didn't mean anything, Goliath. Like I said, Mari here has some…unusual skills." He placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder and felt the tense muscles under the thin fabric of her robe. "It's all right, Mari." She took a deep breath and relaxed marginally. 

"I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect," she said, quietly. "You see…I'm psychic. Sometimes, like with Elisa, I see things without meaning to. I mean no harm to you or anyone."

Goliath opened his mouth to reply when a knock sounded at the door. 

Brooklyn glanced over at it. "Perhaps we should hide?"

"Good idea," answered Mari. "Um…could you wait on the balcony?" 

"But this magic of yours-" Goliath began.

"I promise, I'll tell you everything. Just…not right now, please?"

Goliath nodded. "I will hold you to that."

Mari hesitantly nodded back. "All right."

The two gargoyles stepped out onto the balcony. Mari made sure the curtains covered the sliding door and went to see whom her unexpected visitor was. She opened the door to see a girl who looked to be two or three years younger then herself. She had short-cropped, blonde hair, bright brown eyes, and a stocky build. She was clad simply in jeans, sneakers, and a Sailormoon t-shirt. She shifted slightly from foot to foot, giving the impression of constant energy.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I noticed you the other day and I just wanted to ask, are you really Mariana Wyverie?"

"Er…yes."

"I mean, like, the _writer_, Mariana Wyverie?"

"Yeah, I am," Mari answered, nodding slowly.

The girl's face broke into a huge, excited grin. "Really? Oh wow! I saw your name on the mailbox downstairs but I wasn't sure if it was really you!" She actually bounced up and down a couple of times. "This is so cool! I live in the same building as a celebrity!"

Mari raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's nice. Uh…no offense, but you're kind of creeping me out. Who are you?"

"Oh!" The girl giggled. "Sorry. I get kind of carried away sometimes. My name is Autumn Myers. I live about two doors down."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Autumn. What can I do for you?"

"No, I just wanted to say hi and, you know, see if you were famous," Autumn giggled again.

Mari grinned. "I don't think I'm exactly famous yet. I haven't even made the New York Times Bestseller List." She laughed. "But thank you, anyway. It's a definite ego boost."

"Oh yeah!" Autumn waved. "I've gotta go. Bye!"

"Good night." Mari closed the door behind Autumn and then leaned against it, laughing softly and commenting to Wyvern, "Some of the people that live in this building…I swear…"

Wyvern smirked. _Please…like _you've _cornered the market on sanity?_

The witch opened her mouth to deliver a retort, then closed it, shaking her head. "Never mind. I had that coming, I suppose."

She walked over to the sliding door and opened it. "Uh, you can come back in now. The coast is clear," she called out, tentatively. Goliath stepped into the room. Mari involuntarily moved back and swallowed nervously.

__

He's so…tall. And I don't think he likes me much. Oh gods…what have I gotten myself into? 

Brooklyn walked in after his clan leader and gave Mari a quick, reassuring smile. _So, he's on my side at least. _Then she mentally shook her head. _Be reasonable! Brooklyn wouldn't have brought him here if he were going to hurt you! At least…I don't think he would have…_

Of course he wouldn't, said Wyvern privately, _don't be silly. _The cat walked over and, in a show of supreme unconcern, twined herself around Brooklyn's ankles. 

The gargoyle looked down and grinned. "Hey, Wyvern."

Goliath glanced at the cat sharply. "_Wyvern_?" he exclaimed. Then he glanced over at Mari. "And you so strongly resemble Princess Kathrine…I think you have a long story to tell me and I don't intend to leave until I've heard it." 

With that, he settled himself on her couch. Mari gave an internal sigh of relief as he ceased to tower over her. She perched onto a chair across from his and gave him a nervous smile.

"Where should I start?"

*************************************

Donnell Gregison stepped out of the corner grocery store, with a laden bag in each arm. He looked over the dark streets and shivered. He really hated walking home this late, but there wasn't much choice. With half the restaurant employees out with a nasty little flu bug that had been going around, he'd had to work later hours then usual. At least his building wasn't more then a few blocks away.

A chill wind swept over him, ruffling his dark, curly mane and causing him to huddle deeper into his coat. God, he hated New York in the winter. Almost seven years away from North Carolina and he _still _wasn't used to the cold. He sighed. There was a time that he'd thought everything about the city, including the bone-chilling winters, was romantic. _Of course, _that_ was back when I was still going to make it big in the theatre world and be a star, _he mused, with a trace of self-mockery. 

Reality had intruded quickly. The acting talent that had been a big deal in the little community theatre in Raleigh was nothing compared to the horde of talent that came to the city daily. Donnell soon discovered just how expensive it was to live in New York and was forced to spend most of his time waiting tables, just so he could afford food, clothing, and rent on the little rathole apartment that he now inhabited. 

He started off, walking quickly and wishing that he hadn't forgotten his gloves. It was funny how the walk seemed twice as long now that the streets were dark and nearly deserted. He shuddered again, feeling the back of his neck prickle, as though a malevolent gaze was being leveled at him from somewhere nearby. He shook his head irritably. _You're being paranoid, man. Even muggers have more sense than to be out in this weather._

Still, he couldn't shake that creepy feeling of being watched. He risked a quick glance behind him and nearly jumped when he saw a solitary figure a few yards away. He sped up his walk while telling himself that he was being ridiculous. There was no reason to get freaked out. It could just be another person heading home for the evening. 

He deliberately turned at the next corner and walked on. A few moments later, he checked behind again. The person was still there. Donnell broke into a cold sweat and started to walk faster. Soon, he heard the footsteps behind him speed up and move closer. An irrational fear gripped at him, causing him to twirl around and shriek, "Leave me alone!" before tossing his bags to one side and running. 

His pursuer gave chase. Donnell raced wildly through the streets, turning around corners, blindly stumbling through alleyways, in a desperate attempt to escape. His heart pounded, almost deafening in his ears. His breath tore harshly at his throat. Soon, he turned into an alley and, to his horror, discovered a solid brick wall at the end of it. Dead end. 

A set of footfalls made him turn around. His stalker walked into the alley behind him, cutting off his escape. Donnell stumbled backward, hitting the wall. The figure got close enough to reveal an Asian woman dressed all in black with bobbed hair and pale skin. A cruel smile curved her blood red lips. 

"You gave me quite a chase, human." She moved closer and looked him over, "It has been so long…you aren't much, but you'll do…for now." 

She leaned beside him, putting one cold hand with its scarlet nails to his cheek. "Now," she purred, "tell me what you fear." 

Her black eyes caught and held his. Donnell leaned further back to the wall, whimpering as her gaze looked past his face, seeming to reach into his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to escape. Involuntarily, he began to remember the night when he was ten years old and the fire alarm woke him. He was trapped in his bedroom, thick smoke beginning to seep under the door. He heard his mother calling his name and started to scream for her to help him. It was so hot. The air was heavy. He couldn't breathe. So hot…choking…he didn't want to die there!

Donnell screamed, opening his eyes to see flames all around him. He beat at them frantically, trying to put them out, trying to escape. Fear became an iron band constricting his heart and lungs. He fell back, huddling away from the flames, fighting to draw breath. So intent was he on his struggle that he failed to see the woman step back and transform into a cloud of black smoke that flowed over him. He gave a choked gasp and convulsed wildly, brilliant lights flashing before his vision. He gave one final, violent spasm before going completely limp.

The cloud flowed from his still form and away from the alley.

***************************** 

Police cars blocked the alley an hour later. Sleepy-eyed apartment dwellers peeked from their windows as the city's finest unrolled yellow crime scene tape, questioned witnesses, and gathered evidence.

"What's going on here? You called in a homicide?"

Officer Morgan looked up at the sudden question. He smiled. "Glad you could make it, Detective Maza. We've got a weird one here."

"It's New York, Morgan. When isn't it weird?" Elisa pointed out, dryly humorous.

Morgan nodded. "The body is this way." He led the detective over to the crime scene. "Identification on the body lists him as one Donnell Gregison, age 24, resident of New York." Morgan shook his head sadly. "Poor guy was only three blocks from home." 

Donnell was sprawled on his back, his brown eyes wide open, and a look of utter terror crossing his features. Blood smeared over his face where it had had run from his nose.

Elisa turned away, sickened by the expression on the dead man's face. "What the hell happened to him?"

"Witnesses claim he ran past, screaming at someone to leave him alone, but saw no one chasing him. He was found like this about half an hour ago. The paramedics say his heart burst." Morgan scratched his head. "Crazy as it sounds…it looks like he was scared to death."

"How did someone manage _that_?" Elisa exclaimed.

The other officer shook his head again. "No idea, Detective. Told you this one was weird."

********************************

Kageko Rei, a black-clad woman with blood red lips and bobbed black hair, stood with the rest of the crowd that milled around the police barricades. She started as she caught an unmistakable surge of psionic power from the female detective. She moved in closer to study the woman and gave a small smile.

No, the power didn't emanate from the detective, but from someone that the detective knew. The image of a young woman with vivid green eyes came to Rei's mind. A cruel smile, not unlike the one she had worn when she sucked the life from Donnell, curved her lips. It looked like she'd found her next victim.

Rei chuckled and walked away, unnoticed by any of the bystanders

******************************** 

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   [1]: mailto:karma_aster@yahoo.com



	2. Every little thing she does is magic...

Chapter two: "Every little thing she does is magic…" 

"So, anyway, that's pretty much the whole story," said Mari. "Magic runs in my family. None of us know where it came from or why it tends to tap only one or two of us per generation."

"And your whole family knows about this?" Brooklyn asked.

"Oh, no." Mari shook her head. "Usually only the witches of the family know about it. Most of the Wyveries are completely unaware of that part of our heritage. My mother and siblings know I'm _different_ but they're not really sure why."

Brooklyn looked puzzled. "Well then, how did you learn how to use your powers?" 

The girl smiled. "My Aunt Caroline. She kept an eye on her nieces and nephews and realized what I was right away. She taught me to control what I could do and told me to keep an eye out for the next magic-user in our line." 

Goliath nodded. "So, she was also a...Wiccan?"

"No. She was a Catholic. I'm the only Wiccan in my family...that I know of, anyway."

"I am not sure that I understand. Witches and Wiccans are not the same thing?" 

Mari laughed slightly. "I'll try to explain. It _is_ a bit complicated. Wicca is an actual religion, founded by Gerald Gardener about fifty years ago, but based in ancient Paleolithic Goddess-worshiping beliefs." 

"Paleo-" Goliath began, looking confused.

"Paleolithic. That's what archeologists call the civilizations that existed nearly ten thousand years ago."

"Oh," said Brooklyn, brightly. "Cave-people."

Mari gave him a quelling glance. "Most of those civilizations were highly complex and sophisticated. They were not cave-dwelling _primitives_," she answered, a hint of iciness in her voice. 

Brooklyn blinked, a bit startled by the transformation. "Uh...sorry." He cringed away from her glare. "I-I didn't know." 

Her expression softened. "It's all right." She gave him a small smile. "Anyway," she turned back to Goliath, who had been watching the little exchange with the faintest trace of amusement crossing his features, "witchcraft is just viewed as the practice of casting spells and using magic. It's possible to be a witch and a Wiccan at the same time, but there are plenty of Wiccans that don't consider themselves witches and vice versa."

Goliath nodded. "I see. And what exactly does this Wicca entail?"

Mari laughed. "Well, that all depends on whom you ask. Generally, we believe in trying to live in harmony with Nature and not causing harm to anyone. After that?" She shrugged, "It gets kind of complicated." She gestured towards one of her bookshelves, "There's been a lot written about the subject. Feel free to raid my collection. I'd suggest anything by Starhawk, Z. Budapest, or Scott Cunningham to start with." 

There was a knock at the door. 

Mari turned towards it. "Gee...you don't think that's Autumn again, do you?"

Wyvern gave a feline grin, _Mari's got a fan club...Mari's got a fan club_, she chanted, her eyes dancing mischievously.

"Real cute, Wyv." The young witch rolled her eyes and got up to check through the peephole. She let out a short exclamation and pulled open the door. "Elisa!"

"Sorry about the late hour, but I needed to talk to your guests. Can I come in?" Elisa held up a manila envelope. "I need to show them this."

"Oh, certainly. Please." Mari moved aside. Elisa walked inside and took a seat on the couch.

"What is it, Elisa?" Goliath got up and moved over to her. 

Elisa opened the envelope, pulling out a bunch of photographs and handing them to the gargoyle. "I was called over to a homicide earlier this evening. It was...an unusual case."

"Unusual as in..?" asked Brooklyn.

"As in, the department can't explain how the victim was killed or who possibly could have done it," Elisa answered. She glanced thoughtfully over at Mari. "Just how much arcane lore do you know?"

The girl looked startled, "Uh, some...why?"

"Maybe you can help. How good are you at keeping secrets?"

Mari let out a small laugh. "Oh, I've had some practice with that." She sat beside the detective. Goliath handed her the pictures, which she accepted with murmured thanks. She turned over the first one, got a good look, and blanched. She dropped the pile of photographs and stared straight ahead, her fists clenched and her eyes looking at nothing the rest of them could see.

"Mari?" Brooklyn asked, alarmed. He reached over and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Mari, talk to me. Snap out of it!" He shook her slightly, breaking whatever spell held her.

She looked up at him, her eyes terrified. "Fire," she whispered, "he saw fire and it scared him so much that he..."

"You saw it?" Brooklyn asked quietly.

She shook her head. "I felt it. The aura is-_was _very strong." She swallowed, then forced the words out, "Someone got into his head and _made_ him afraid. It wanted to feed off that fear."

"What is it?" Elisa asked, grabbing hold of one of Mari's hands.

"I don't know," Mari answered, extremely confused, "I've never encountered something like this before...nor would I _want_ to!"

_Neither have I_, added Wyvern.

Elisa sat back with a sigh, "Well, it was a thought," she commented to no one in particular. 

"I wish I could help more, but-" Mari began, apologetically.

"You've already helped quite a bit," Elisa interrupted, "We do have more information then we had a few moments ago, and at least I know this isn't a mundane murder case anymore." She sighed and muttered, "Yippee." 

"You are all right, Mari?" Goliath asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine. A little shaken, that's all."

"I'm sorry. I forgot about the psychometry," Elisa said.

Mari shrugged, "Don't worry about it. You couldn't have known I'd get such a strong reaction. I didn't."

"You really didn't?" queried Goliath.

"No," Mari looked a bit embarrassed. "It kind of comes and goes. It's the most nebulous ability I have, so I don't tend to rely on it much."

"So, you aren't infallible, then," he commented.

She replied with a somewhat self-deprecatory laugh, "As much as I might wish otherwise, you're absolutely right. I do make mistakes and my magic can't solve everything."

He gave her the first true smile she'd seen from him that evening. It made him look a _lot_ less forbidding and gave Mari a sudden insight into why Elisa loved this gargoyle. "That is good to know." 

She grinned back at him.

*****************************************

Rei pulled her senses back and stood outside the apartment building, cursing quietly. The little bitch _would_ have to have a shielding spell up, wouldn't she? 

The woman irritably raked her fingers through her hair and mulled over her options. She could break the spell, but that would take more energy than she cared to expand in the capture of one human witch. That meant she needed to examine the spell again to see if it had any weaknesses to exploit. No spell was foolproof. There had to be at least one loophole and, knowing mortals as she did, it would most likely prove to be something ridiculously simple.

So...a challenge, then. Rei smiled in anticipation and began to study the shield. She _liked _challenges.

********************************************

_Do you plan on getting up anytime soon? _

Mari slowly swam her way back to consciousness in response to Wyvern's irritable comment. She rolled over and reached out to tweak the curtain aside, groaning as blinding sunlight flooded the room. "Gods...what time is it?" she moaned, clutching her head.

_Past noon, and I'm ready to eat whenever you are._

The girl buried her head beneath her pillow. "Wyv...I didn't get to bed until close to six this morning," she complained, her voice muffled, "are you _completely_ heartless?"

_I got to bed at about the same time you did_, Wyvern replied, _and_ I'm _alert enough_.

Mari pulled herself into a sitting position and glared at the cat. "_You_ sleep at least twenty hours a day." She crawled out of her bed and began fumbling her way towards the bathroom. She stepped inside, shed her pajamas and turned on the shower.

After about five minutes of standing under the hot water, she began to feel vaguely human again. She stepped out, dried off, pulled on her bathrobe, and headed for the kitchen to complete the transformation with a cup of coffee.

Ten minutes later, she'd finished her first cup, began on her second, and had started to get her sense of humor back. Wyvern gobbled down a belated breakfast, thus ensuring that all of their earlier surliness was forgiven.

"Want to take a walk in the park? The muggers wouldn't be out yet."

Wyvern looked up and rolled her eyes, _Yes, but the yuppie women with their insufferable terriers will be._

Mari giggled. "True. Those poor dogs have suffered enough. No need to inflict you on them."

Wyvern stretched and yawned in satisfaction, showing a mouth full of pointed, needle-sharp teeth. _Exactly._

***************************************

Rei's head jerked up as she felt the witch leave her apartment. She looked over to see the girl walking towards the subway. Rei discreetly followed her. They got onto the train and headed for Central Park.

Rei studied the girl's mind and had to suppress her triumphant laugh. Really, these mortals were like children! The witch used all that power to put an elaborate shielding spell on her home and completely neglected to do the same for herself!

It was so simple. All Rei had to do was get inside the child's mind, and then it didn't matter where the witch went. Rei would be able to follow her anywhere.

_Tell me what you fear_, she thought in delight. _As soon as I have your fears, I have_ you_!_

The girl frowned and looked up at Rei. She looked away and got off at the next stop, suspicion clear on her open, innocent face. The woman snickered internally. 

_Go where you will, girl. I have you now!_

****************************************

The apartment was dark. Mari fumbled for the light switch, and flipped it up, instantly illuminating the place. She saw two dark splotches scuttle across the floor and sighed disgustedly. 

"I hate cockroaches," she muttered and pulled off one of her shoes. "Nothing personal, guys, but it's time to die."

"Don't do that."

The voice had come from behind her. Mari turned and gasped, finding that a seven-foot tall cockroach had somehow entered the kitchen without her noticing and had seated itself at the table. "Wha..?"

"Don't do that," it repeated. 

Mari raised the shoe and moved into a defensive posture. The cockroach shook what passed for its head.

"Don't like the way I look, huh? You're not that much better, human."

"How did you get in here?" Mari demanded. "What do you think you're doing? Get _out_ of my apartment!"

The cockroach gave a contemptuous snort. "You think I have to do what _you_ tell me? I was here millions of years before you and your disgusting little species, girl." It stood up, towering over her. Mari's throat suddenly went dry. "You think you run the planet. You think you control _everything_."

Mari backed up against the wall. The roach reached for her. She opened her mouth to scream...

And sat up, drenched in sweat and gasping harshly. Wyvern leapt up onto the couch beside her, her emerald eyes wide.

_Are you all right? _

Mari nodded, trying to get her breathing back under control. "Fine...I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."

Wyvern raised an eyebrow. _Some dream. Are you sure you're okay?_

"I'm fine, Wyv! Really!" The phone beside her gave a sudden shrill ring. "Gyah!"

_A bit jumpy are we?_ Wyvern asked, tilting her head to one side.

Mari sneered elegantly at the cat and reached over to pick up the receiver. "Hello?" A pause. "Oh, Elisa, hey! What's up?" She listened for a bit longer. "That sounds good. Where should we meet you?" She nodded. "Right. One hour at the Eyrie Building. See you there. Bye!" She hung up.

_And of course you're going to tell me what Elisa called us about, right?_

"Elisa suggested that, as this is her night off, it might be an excellent opportunity for us to meet the rest of the clan. Do you want to?"

_I suppose, since you already said that both of us are going to be there._

Mari rolled her eyes. "Picky, picky, picky!"

**********************************


End file.
